Method and apparatus to wrap a plastic container

ABSTRACT

An apparatus comprises a closed container formed of substantially rigid plastic, and a wrapper that is loosely disposed fully about the closed container. This wrapper may also have twist ties on opposing ends thereof. This apparatus may be used to provide packaging for a retail commodity.

FIELD

The invention relates generally to the wrapping of a plastic container.

BACKGROUND

It is known in the art that individual articles may be packaged for sale. A known packaging method involves wrapping the otherwise-unwrapped articles in a flexible material that may be twisted at opposing ends to secure the article within the wrapper. It is also known to use a twist tie to hold the twisted ends shut to further secure the article within the flexible material, especially where the wrapper material is somewhat resilient and therefore tends to untwist itself. Another known method packages articles within plastic blister packs, boxes, or both. Additionally, padding can be used within these packages to fill space and better secure and support an article.

For some purposes, these prior art practices are adequate and acceptable, however, they do not fully address all applications of packaging articles that may be desired. For example, the twisted flexible material package approach is generally confined to small articles such as bite-sized candies. The twisted flexible material package can be used singularly when the articles are durable and can withstand the rigors of transportation while only having the flexible material as a protective cover. For example, solid, hard candies can often be successfully packaged in this manner. As the article becomes more fragile, however, such a packaging approach becomes less and less viable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above needs are at least partially met through provision of the method and apparatus to wrap a plastic container described in the following detailed description, particularly when studied in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 comprises a flowchart as configured in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 2 comprises a perspective view as configured in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3 comprises a cross-section view as configured in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 4 comprises a perspective view in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 5 comprises a perspective view in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 6 comprises a top-plan view in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 7 comprises a side-elevation view in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.

Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments. It will further be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Generally speaking, pursuant to these various approaches an apparatus is provided comprising a closed container comprised of substantially rigid plastic and a wrapper loosely disposed fully about the closed container, the wrapper also having twist ties on opposing ends thereof. This apparatus may be used to provide packaging for a retail commodity.

So configured, a plastic container may be economically and efficiently wrapped, shipped, and offered to the consumer in packaging that resembles the appearance of traditionally smaller articles, thus benefiting from considerable emotional goodwill. This plastic container, however, can provide satisfactory protection for commodities that are fragile and that are not ordinarily associated with such outer wrapping. These teachings may be implemented using existing deployed technology. These teachings may also be scaled to accommodate single or multiple portions, and varying sizes of articles. These teachings will provide an apparatus that resembles a typical double-twist package traditionally encountered in the small-article market, which will provide an unexpected and enjoyable surprise for many consumers while still providing the protection of a substantially rigid plastic container.

These and other benefits may become clearer upon making a thorough review and study of the following detailed description. Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 2, in this example method and apparatus to wrap a plastic container an item 200 is optionally provided. The item 200 may be any material, including, for example, plastic, metal and organic. One example item 200 is a food item. By one approach, the example food item may be made of chocolate. This chocolate item may further be hollow or solid.

When the item 200 comprises a hollow chocolate item, the hollow interior may be left hollow, or alternatively it may be filled. The optional filling may be any material, including, for example, plastic, metal and organic materials. The filling may include, for example, a toy or other combination of plastic and/or metal, optionally disposed within a plastic bag. The filling may also include a second edible substance. The second edible substance may include, for example, chocolate, caramel, nougat, cream, a wafer, at least one nut, a gel, at least one pretzel, a hard candy, a gum, or combinations or layers of such edible substances. Those skilled in the art will recognize and understand that these examples are intended to serve only in an illustrative capacity and are not intended to comprise an exhaustive listing of all possibilities in these regards.

For the sake of illustrative example and not by way of limitation, for the purposes of this description this item 200 is a hollow chocolate bon-bon. In this illustrative example the item 200 has a substantially circular planar base 205. The base may also optionally include at least one ridge 205. The at least one ridge 205 facilitates extraction of the item 200 from the mould during the chocolate molding process, which can be difficult due to the size of the example item 200. For example, the item 200 At least one sidewall 210 extends upwardly from the base 205 at an angle other than perpendicular with the base 205. The at least one sidewall 210 extends up to a substantially circular edge 215. A dome 220 is disposed on the edge 215. In one example, the base 205 has a diameter of 90 mm, the edge 215 has a diameter of 150 mm, and the overall height of the bon-bon is 114 mm.

In step 100, and referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3, this item 200 may optionally be disposed in aluminum foil 300. A person of ordinary skill in the art, however, will recognize that other materials may also be used to wrap the item 200, such as wax paper or other paper products or plastic wraps.

The aluminum foil 300 may fully encapsulate the item 200 to act as a barrier to moisture that might otherwise damage the item 200. The aluminum foil 300 may also be tightened around the item 200. By one approach, the aluminum foil 300 has a conventional appearance. By another approach, the aluminum foil 300 has images, words, or some combination thereof marked or printed thereon that may also include an array of colors. This printed or marked material may be disposed on either side of the aluminum foil 300, or on both sides if desired. This approach may provide a medium upon which to dispose advertising or other information that a consumer of the item would see before unwrapping the aluminum foil 300 from the item 200, after unwrapping the aluminum foil 300 from the item 200, or both.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, in step 105 of this illustrative process the item 200 may then be disposed, with or without the optional aluminum foil 300, within a plastic container 305. In one example, the plastic container 305 may be made out of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). In step 110 the plastic container 305 is closed about the item 200 to contain the item 200 within the plastic container 305. So configured, the aluminum foil 300 (when present) may be disposed in the closed container 305 and about the item 200.

By one approach this plastic container 305 is substantially rigid to provide protection to its contents. Being substantially rigid, the plastic container 305 holds its shape and provides some protection to any contents within it. Those skilled in the art will recognize, however, that such a container 305 may also have malleable sections as well. By one approach this plastic container 305 may be shaped to enclose any item 200 of choice. In this illustrative example the shape of the example plastic container 305 closely conforms to and is complementary to the shape of the item 200 disposed within it to provide protection for the item 200 from damage due to jarring and/or changing positions and orientations during handling and transportation. As shown in FIG. 3, the shape of the plastic container 305 in this example is substantially complementary to the shape of the item 200 disposed within it, providing only a small additional tolerance for the optional aluminum foil 300.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, by one approach the plastic container 305 is a clam-shell container having a first portion and a second opposing portion that pivotally couple one to the other. This illustrative clam-shell container 305 is shown in FIG. 4 in an open configuration and those skilled in the art will recognize and appreciate that the halves of this container 305 are movable between an open and a closed configuration.

The plastic container 305 in this example can be viewed as having a base 400 and a cover 405. The base 400 includes a substantially planar circular bottom 410. At least one sidewall 415 extends upwardly from the bottom 410 at an outwardly-oriented angle. The at least one sidewall 415 extends up to the top of the base 400 to form an edge 420. A base member 425 may then extend radially outwardly of the edge 420. The base member 425 is disposed circumferentially about the plastic container 305 to provide lateral rigidity. This lateral rigidity provides further mechanical strength to the container 305 and thereby serves to also aid in protecting the aforementioned item 200 from at least some potentially harmful external influences. By one approach, the base member 425 is a flange.

The cover 405 of the example plastic container 305 is a dome 430 complementary to the dome 220 of the item 200. The dome 430 extends down to an edge 435. A cover member 440 may then extend radially outwardly of the edge 435. The cover member 440 is disposed circumferentially about the plastic container 305 to again provide lateral rigidity. By one approach, the cover member 440 is a flange.

A hinge 445 connects the base 400 to the cover 405 of the clam-shell container 305 in this example. The hinge 445 pivotably connects the base 400 and the cover 405 to one another. Accordingly, the example plastic container 305 is configured to readily move back and forth many times between opened and closed positions without loss of functionality.

By one approach, the plastic container 305 may be made of at least partially transparent material. By another approach, the plastic container 305 may be made from an opaque material. A person of ordinary skill in the art will also appreciate that any combination of colors, images, and/or alphanumeric content may also be disposed on (or formed in) the plastic container 305 to provide yet another medium upon which to advertise, display nutritional information, or to display aesthetically pleasing elements or combinations of each.

In this illustrative example plastic container 305 is not hermetically sealed when closed. More to the point, when the item 200 is disposed within the plastic container 305 and the plastic container is closed about the item 200, the base 400 is not sealed to the cover 405. A person of ordinary skill in the art, however, will recognize that if the select application of the item 200 and the plastic container 305 requires sealing or hermetic sealing, this can be done by any method known in the art, including, for example, a hot seal, a cold seal, or an induction seal.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 5, in step 112 a wrapper 500 is provided. In one example, the wrapper 500 is made of a flexible material, for example, a metal foil, a plastic sheet, an organic material, or any combination of the three. In this illustrative example the wrapper 500 is a metalized laminate wrapper made of a layer of clear biaxially oriented propylene (BOPP) and a layer of metalized biaxially oriented propylene.

A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that any combination of colors, images, and/or alphanumeric content may also be disposed on the wrapper 500 to provide another medium upon which to advertise or to otherwise display nutritional information or aesthetically pleasing elements or combinations of elements.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 5, and 6, an example approach to disposing this wrapper 500 about the plastic container 305 is illustrated. In optional step 115, the wrapper is folded longitudinally to form a folded side 505 and an opposing open side 510. Next, in optional step 120, a first seal 515 is formed along the open side 510 to close the open side 510 and to provide a tubular wrapper open at each end. Then in optional step 125, a second seal 520 is formed from the folded side 505 to the first seal 515. By one approach, the second seal 520 is formed perpendicular to the folded side 505 and the first seal 515. By providing the folded side 505, the first seal 515, and the second seal 520, a pouch 525 is thereby formed from the wrapper 500. The pouch 525 has three edges formed of the folded side 505, the first seal 515, and the second seal 520, with a fourth edge 530 being an open edge to provide the container-receiving pouch 525.

A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that any method known in the art may be used to provide the first and second seals 515, 520 on the wrapper 500, including, for example, a cold seal, a hot seal, and an induction seal.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, and as shown in FIG. 5, in step 130 the plastic container 305 is disposed within the pouch 525 formed of the flexible material wrapper 500 as described above. As noted earlier, the plastic container 305 may also optionally include the item 200 disposed within it.

Now referring to FIGS. 1 and 6, an example package 600 is provided as follows. In step 135, a first twist tie 605 is disposed in engagement with the flexible material wrapper 500 on a first side 610 of the plastic container 305. The first twist tie 605 may be utilized to loosely encapsulate the plastic container 305 within the example flexible material wrapper 500 by being disposed to close the container-receiving pouch 525. With the open edge 530 being closed by the first twist tie 605, the wrapper 500 is loosely disposed fully about the closed plastic container 305.

By one approach, this is done by compressing the folded side 505 with the first seal 515 of the wrapper 500 to close off the open edge 530, wrapping the first twist tie 605 about the compressed wrapper 500 and twisting the first twist tie 605 to tighten it about the compressed wrapper 500. By another approach, the wrapper 500 may be twisted to provide a compressed area upon which the first twist tie 605 may be disposed and tightened. By a third approach, an adhesive may be used to secure the first twist tie 605 on the wrapper 500.

Then, in optional step 140 and as shown in FIG. 6, a second twist tie 615 is disposed in engagement with the example flexible material wrapper 500 on a second side 620 of the plastic container 305 that is opposite the first side 605 of the plastic container 305. The second twist tie 615 may be disposed over or proximate to the second seal 520 and utilized to engage the example flexible material wrapper 500.

By one approach, this is done by compressing the folded side 505 with the first seal 515 of the wrapper 500, wrapping the second twist tie 615 about the compressed wrapper 500, and twisting the second twist tie 615 to tighten it about the compressed wrapper 500. By another approach, the wrapper 500 may be twisted to provide a compressed area upon which the second twist tie 615 may be disposed and tightened. By a third approach, an adhesive may be used to secure the second twist tie 615 in place on or about the wrapper 500.

A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the first twist tie 605 and the second twist tie 615 may be made of any suitable material, including for example a metal, a plastic, an organic material, or any combination of the three. This includes, for example, a plastic adhesive tape, a paper adhesive tape, a twist tie including a metal wire with paper disposed about the wire, twine, a ribbon, adhesive tape, and a cord. Those skilled in the art will recognize and understand that these examples are intended to serve only in an illustrative capacity and are not intended to comprise an exhaustive listing of all possibilities in these regards.

A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that any combination of colors, images, and/or alphanumeric content may also be disposed on the first twist tie 605 and the second twist tie 615 to provide another medium upon which to provide instructions, advertise, or to otherwise display nutritional information or aesthetically pleasing elements or combinations of elements. The first twist tie 605 and the second twist tie 615 may further include an easy open feature, such as, for example, a notch, scores or perforations, such as made mechanically or by a laser, or a pull tab.

In addition, it will be understood that the first twist tie 605 and the second twist tie 615 may be fixed to the wrapper 500 in any order. For example, the second twist tie 615 may be disposed onto the wrapper before the first twist tie 605 is used to close off the pouch 525.

Pursuant to these teachings, the illustrative package 600 includes a closed plastic container 305 made of substantially rigid plastic having a wrapper 500 loosely disposed fully about the closed plastic container 305 and having first and the second twist ties 605, 615 on opposing ends 610, 620 thereof.

If desired, in optional step 145 and as shown in FIG. 7 a hook 700 may be attached to the package 600 on one edge 610, 620 thereof. The hook 700 may then facilitate hanging the package 600 (which in turn optionally contains the packaged item 200 therewithin). By one approach this hook 700 is attached to the first end 610 to thereby hang the package 600 with the first twist tie 605 being disposed above the second twist tie 615. This configuration thereby utilizes the second seal 520 to support the plastic container 305 and the item 200 if the item 200 is disposed within the plastic container 305. In other words, by this approach the twist tie on the lower portion of the package is not solely relied upon to retain the container within the package when the package is hanging, for example, in a retail establishment.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of modifications, alterations, and combinations can be made with respect to the above described embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that such modifications, alterations, and combinations are to be viewed as being within the ambit of the inventive concept. For example, the method described herein may be streamlined into a continuous method for a larger production. For example, a continuous roll of flexible material may be provided to be used as the wrapper 500. As the flexible material is fed into the production process, the folded side 505, the first seal 515 and the second seal 520 can then be formed. The continuous flexible sheet may then be singulated into discreet wrappers 500. The process may then continue as described above for each singulated, discreet sheet. 

1. An apparatus comprising: a closed container comprised of substantially rigid plastic; a wrapper loosely disposed fully about the closed container and having twist ties on opposing ends thereof.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus comprises packaging for a retail commodity.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the closed container comprises a clamshell-style container.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the clamshell-style container has a flange disposed circumferentially thereabout to provide lateral rigidity.
 5. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the closed container is not hermetically sealed.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the wrapper comprises a laminate wrapper.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the wrapper comprises, at least in part, a container-receiving pouch.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein one of the twist ties is disposed to close the container-receiving pouch.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: a food item disposed in the closed container.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising: aluminum foil disposed in the closed container and about the food item.
 11. A packaged food item, comprising: a food item; a substantially rigid plastic container that is closed about the food item; a flexible material disposed completely and non-conformally about the plastic container; a first twist tie disposed in engagement with the flexible material on a first side of the plastic container; a second twist tie disposed in engagement with the flexible material on a second side of the plastic container that is opposite the first side of the plastic container.
 12. The packaged food item of claim 11 wherein the food item comprises a hollow chocolate.
 13. The packaged food item of claim 12 wherein the plastic container comprises a base and a cover that are pivotally connected to one another.
 14. The packaged food item of claim 13 wherein the plastic container is configured to readily move back and forth between opened and closed positions without loss of functionality.
 15. The packaged food item of claim 11 wherein the plastic container comprises substantially transparent material.
 16. A method of providing a packaged item comprising: disposing an item within a substantially rigid plastic container; closing the plastic container; disposing the plastic container within a pocket formed of a flexible material; utilizing a first twist tie to loosely encapsulate the plastic container within the flexible material.
 17. The method of providing a packaged item of claim 16 wherein disposing the item within the plastic container comprises: disposing aluminum foil about the item to provide a foil-wrapped item; disposing the foil-wrapped item within the substantially rigid plastic container.
 18. The method of providing a packaged item of claim 17 further comprising: folding the flexible material to form a folded side and an opposing open side; forming a seal along the open side to provide a first seal; forming a second seal from the folded side to the first seal to thereby form the pocket.
 19. The method of providing a packaged item of claim 18 further comprising: utilizing a second twist tie to engage the flexible material on a side of the plastic container that is opposite to the first twist tie.
 20. The method of providing a packaged item of claim 19 further comprising: attaching a hook to the flexible material to facilitate hanging the packaged item with the first twist tie being disposed above the second twist tie. 